1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to women""s wearing apparel. More specifically, the present invention is drawn to a disposable nursing brassiere having a diaper-type absorbing layer to absorb and retain liquid, fluids or moisture which may leak or drain from the breast.
2. Description of Related Art
Recent medical studies have indicated that a baby""s potential for improved health is enhanced when the baby is breast fed. Because of these findings, there has been a resurgence of mothers who breast feed their babies.
A continuing problem faced by lactating mothers is that of breast fluids (milk) which tend to leak and stain clothing, creating odor and causing discomfort and embarrassment. There are many brassieres in the marketplace which attempt to alleviate the aforementioned problem.
Examples of such brassieres are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,534,721 (Marshall), U.S. Pat. No. 2,748,771 (Richards), U.S. Pat. No. 3,513,852 (Seidl) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,273 (Turner et al.). All of the above cited brassieres are designed for repeated wear and employ a removable pad to absorb leakage from the breasts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,114 (Repke) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,510 (Sneider) exemplify the structure of removable breast pads per se.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,545 (Chikazawa) discloses an absorbent article, such as a diaper, wherein the absorbent material is fabricated from biodegradable grains.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,285 (Williams) discloses a disposable brassiere made from inexpensive material. The brassiere of the instant patent includes no structure for specifically absorbing fluids which may leak from breasts.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to disclose a disposable brassiere having absorbent means as will subsequently be described and claimed in the instant invention.
The present invention is drawn to a brassiere to be used by nursing mothers. Unlike prior art nursing brassieres which mostly employ removable absorbent pads, the brassiere of the instant invention incorporates pelletized, absorbent material interposing cloth layers of the brassiere cup or surroundings. Once the absorbent material is saturated, the entire brassiere is to be disposed of and replaced with another.
The concept of disposing of the entire brassiere would greatly alleviate the problems now encountered with the removable pads in that there would be no residual leakage to the brassiere from the pad to cause odor and/or stain cloths. Also, time and energy are saved since the disposable brassiere requires no laundering.
As contemplated, the brassieres would be packaged in convenient quantities (six, twelve, twenty-four, etc.) for marketing purposes. A small number of brassieres could easily fit in a purse if the user plans to be out for an extended period. The brassiere would be fabricated in a range of sizes (small, medium, large, extra-large) to ensure universal appeal. Although designed especially for nursing mothers, it is obvious that the brassiere would find utility in scenarios that might require surgical procedures on the breasts (augmentation, implants, mastectomies, etc.). The brassiere will also serve medical purposes, such as nipple discharge, breast infection, abscesses, and swollen bumps or festering sores which may develop on the skin in advanced cancer.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a brassiere to be employed by lactating mothers.
It is another object of the invention to provide a brassiere which incorporates a pelletized absorbent medium.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a brassiere which is fabricated from inexpensive and biodegradable materials.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a brassiere which is disposable.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in a brassiere for the purposes described which are dependable and fully effective in accomplishing their intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.